Had to come into work this morning for some maintenance, so thought it would be a good idea to wrap the weekend commute into a longer ride. The weather was wonderful at 6:00 a.m. – no wind, 62° F and no traffic. I took off at a good clip, heading downtown for some coffee.

After a tall Americano, the return trip was underway with time to spare for an 8:00 a.m. arrival at work. That is until the telltale periodic hiss of a flat. Nevada Avenue is loaded with debris, but I’ve ridden this route numerous times without issue, and I really thought my Mr. Tuffy liners would help me out, but alas, no.

After a tube change, I rolled back up to 20 mph on 70 psi in the rear. Felt a little bouncy, but it would get me to work. Until about 200 yards later, when the exact same thing happened again, but this time it was a shard of glass. I do make sure each time I change a flat on a ride that the tire is clean on the inside before sacrificing another tube. This is why I carry two tubes or each size (23’s and 37’s for the crosser).

Got to work, where I do keep a floor pump for situations just like these. The patch kit and Slime Skabs will ensure that if a third flat happens in the remaining miles to my garage, I am not relegated to walking.

Moral of the story – while heavy and a little bulky in a small backpack, carrying more than you need sometimes pays off. Nothing worse than sitting by the side of the road waiting for glue to dry and hoping your patch job was good enough.